Oh oh

"U-um, are you after money? B-because if V owes you money, I can pay for him," Kaida ventures as she walks beside Zelo, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness. Inside, her mind races, 'He hasn't said anything for the past four hours. We've passed by groups of elves, but he just ignores them. Just what did you do, V? Why is he so focused on you?'

Zelo yawns, stretching and popping his joints, 'V... what a strange name,' he muses. "Hmm... How much can you pay?" he inquires, his tone indifferent, betraying no interest in her offer.

"Um, I can pay you three platinum coins," she responds, her gaze flitting around nervously.

"Holy shit, you're stacked," Zelo exclaims, genuinely surprised for the first time. "I thought you were some nobody, given how weak you are," he yawns, giving her a once-over. "Hmhmhm, you must come from a rich family."

Kaida clenches her fist, her frustration simmering beneath the surface. 'Some nobody. I'm not some nobody,' she thinks, exasperated. Yet, she exhales slowly, acknowledging her current reality, 'But I am weak. I'm too weak to talk back.' She bites her inner cheek, shoving her hands in her pockets and kicking a rock in frustration. "That's right, I'm weak. I'm gifted, but I can't use my gift. What a load of crap," she mutters, annoyance lacing her voice.

Zelo yawns again, dismissive. "Nobody cares, girl. Did you expect me to pity you?" he scoffs, his disdain for her self-pity evident. "You rich morons don't know shit. You don't need to be talented to be strong. There are countless people who are monsters despite having no talent. You just lack creativity."

Her eyes widen as she catches sight of Isadora and Sera in the distance. 'It's Isadora, and I think that's Sera. Wait, she's also strong. They might be able to beat him,' she thinks, hope flickering within her as she observes them eating.

Sera, lost in thought about Isadora's inexplicable disdain for skills, 'Seriously, just why doesn't she like skills? What's there to hate? I mean-' suddenly stops mid-thought. From the corner of her eye, she spots Kaida and Zelo. 'She's from Kael's class, and next to her is... a criminal?'

"Hey, Isadora, look," Sera says, pointing in the direction of Kaida and Zelo. "I'm not sure how strong Kaida is, but she looks uncomfortable." Isadora simply nods, her expression as blank as ever. Both of them pack up and follow from afar, melding with the shadows of the trees.

"Hmm... this man gives a strange vibe," Sera mumbles from behind the foliage, her eyes narrowed in concentration. 'Just where is he taking her?' she wonders, scrutinizing the man's every move.

"He doesn't look physically powerful, so he must be a mage," Sera concludes, whispering to Isadora as they inch closer, the distance between them gradually shrinking.

With a heavy sigh, "Ugh... When are you planning to come out?" Zelo yawns, turning to glance at the tree they're hiding in, his gaze bored yet expectant.

Boom! The tranquility of the moment is shattered by a shockwave as Isadora's sword clashes against his magic shield. She pushes against the barrier with such force that her feet dig into the ground, leaving marks in her wake.

"Hmm... you're fast," Zelo sighs, sounding more inconvenienced than impressed. With a flick of his finger, he casts two magic circles that shoot out wind blades towards Isadora. She jumps back, twisting her body in mid-air and coating it in aura. Swish! Swish! Swish! The slashes of wind bounce off her, pushing her back but failing to cut.

With her expressionless face, Isadora fixes her gaze on him, momentarily puzzled by his stance. 'Stick?' she thinks, confused as she notices him balancing on a stick, of all things.

Kaida, watching the scene unfold, looks at Isadora with amazement. 'Unlike Isabella, who destroys her opponents carefully, Isadora is aggressive and quick-witted. I think they're both around the same level,' she assesses, taking careful steps back, hoping not to draw attention to herself.

Isadora unsheathes her sword, grounding her feet and launching herself towards Zelo in a flash. She positions her sword for a swing with one hand, but just as she's about to bring it down, he conjures another magic shield. Without a moment's hesitation, she shifts her body weight down, grabbing onto the magic shield with her empty hand and vaulting over it in an effortless leap, sword poised to strike. Zelo, however, is quick to respond, controlling the stick he's perched upon with wind magic to ascend swiftly. From his elevated position, he unleashes a barrage of flaming wind blades in her direction: swish! swish! swish! swish!

She contorts her body, dodging two blades with a graceful twist and using the momentum of the incoming attacks to her advantage. She coats her feet in a thick layer of aura, meeting the next two blades head-on. The force of the collision propels her upwards, giving her the height she needs to slash down at Zelo with renewed vigor. This time, her sword strikes with such force that it leaves a large crack in his hastily conjured magic shield. 'What is this kid? She's clearly inexperienced, but her adaptability... it's insane. Wait... she's a human, huh?' Zelo ponders, observing her with a newfound interest as he notes her human ears amidst the fray.

Landing back on the ground, Isadora readjusts her grip on her sword, now wielding it with both hands. Looking up, she watches as Zelo prepares his next assault, casting countless dense fire orbs and sending them plummeting towards her. Whoosh! Swish! Swish! Whoosh! Swish! With relentless determination, she cuts through the myriad of orbs, her sword slicing each one in half, causing a tumultuous wind to swirl around her. Each movement is precise, each decision instantaneous, turning the battlefield into a spectacle of light and shadow as the fire orbs illuminate the night, only to be extinguished by her swift strikes.  

"Come here," Sera says, quickly pulling Kaida to safety. She grabs her and carries her away from the fray, while Zelo, with a resigned exhale, decides, 'I'll get her after I deal with this one,' turning his focus back to Isadora.

She sets Kaida down in a dense part of the forest, asking, "Are you okay?" Kaida exhales deeply and collapses to the ground, grateful yet concerned. "Thank you. I'm fine, but we need to stop that man. We should group up with Isabella."

Sera looks back towards the battle, the night sky lit by the flames of Zelo's magic. "What's going on? Who is that man?" she asks, trying to piece together the situation.

Shrugging, Kaida explains, "I don't know. All I know is that he's after V. Isabella tried beating him by herself, but because she had to protect the others at the same time, she was caught off guard." She reaches into her pouch for some water, her throat dry from the tension.

'Huh? He's after Kael? Ugh... it doesn't sound unreasonable, Kael does keep a lot of secrets...' Sera ponders, stretching out. "I'm going to help Isadora, you stay here and keep yourself safe."

"Is there any way—" Kaida starts, but before she can finish, Sera is already sprinting back to the battle. "I can help..." Kaida mutters to herself, frustrated and feeling sidelined, as she kicks a tree in resignation.

"Just give it up, kid. You can't even reach me," Zelo taunts from above, continuing to rain down attacks on Isadora.

"Oh, your other sword friend is here. Still, it makes no difference. Neither of you are mage—" He cuts himself off, flying higher to avoid their counterattack. Swish! Swish! Swish! He unleashes waves of flaming wind, but now he faces not one, but two adversaries.

However, Sera, moving with an almost telepathic synchronization with Isadora, casts dozens of small mana shields in the air. They use these shields as stepping stones, climbing higher with each step. 'After countless tries and some help from Nyssa; goddess rest her soul, I thankfully manage to create magic shields I can use as stepping stones without it costing a significant amount of mana,' Sera reflects, flipping in the air to meet Zelo's onslaught.

'This one is interesting. I thought she was a simple-minded magic swordsman. But to think she's using the Kiar principle.' Zelo muses as he deftly maneuvers through the air, his interest piqued. Casting a tier three magic circle, he declares, "Since you kids want to play, let's have some fun," his voice dripping with lethargy yet laced with a hint of excitement. Suddenly, three magic circles materialize in the sky above, from which needles made of compressed fire shoot towards the ground at breakneck speed, slicing through trees with ease.

Both Sera and Isadora quickly react, coating themselves in a protective layer to fend off the fiery onslaught, feeling nothing more than a mild, itchy sensation from the close calls. In a bold move, Sera grasps Isadora's arm and they begin to spin. 'Here goes nothing,' she thinks, her resolve hardening as she hurls Isadora upwards, aiming to position her slightly above Zelo. With precise timing, Sera conjures a magic shield above Isadora.

Seizing the opportunity, Isadora flips her body upside down and pushes off the newly formed shield, shattering it and creating a powerful shockwave that ripples through the air. "Ugh... you kids are impatient," Zelo yawns, unimpressed by their persistence.

As Isadora prepares for a direct assault, Zelo's cast tornado comes to fruition. The fire needles, once freely raining down, are now caught in the whirlwind, turning the tornado into a deadly maelstrom spinning the needles at fatal speeds. The fierce wind catches Isadora and Sera off guard, pulling them towards the vortex with irresistible force.

"Shit!" Sera exclaims, her frustration evident as she quickly places a magic shield in front of herself and another in front of Isadora, attempting to block the pull of the tornado. However, the force proves too strong; the magic shields shatter under the pressure, and they're both sucked into the fiery tornado.

"Hmm... I don't think this will kill them," Zelo murmurs to himself, observing the aftermath of the tornado with a detached interest. "They're strong kids." With a slight gesture of his hand, he exerts control over the remnants of the tornado, gradually compressing it into a single dense point. The fierce wind and flaming needles, now concentrated, pierce through the air with lethal precision, growing smaller and smaller until they vanish completely. As the dust settles, both girls are revealed standing there, breathing heavily. "Gasp, o-oh fuck..." Sera pants, her strength waning as she falls to her knees. Isadora, coughing up blood, joins her, both of them marred by numerous cuts and bleeding profusely. Sera's clothes are nearly entirely burnt away, while Isadora, thanks to the specially enhanced attire she won in the midterms, fares slightly better.

'I used up all my mana making a sphere around us,' Sera struggles to piece together her actions amidst the chaos, 'I think Isadora used all her aura as well.' They both cough up blood, barely managing to kneel on the ground, a testament to their resilience and determination. Isadora, her hand trembling, reaches for her sword, but her muscles betray her, strained beyond their limit.

Zelo approaches them, an expression of mild respect crossing his features. "Not bad, most kids your age would die to that. You two are impressive," he acknowledges, though neither of the girls can muster the strength to respond, merely panting in exhaustion.

He turns his attention to Isadora. "You're likely the strongest kid in this forest, but you're not the best," he yawns, his interest waning as quickly as it piqued. "Hmm... the mage I met earlier was a bit weaker than you but she actually managed to hurt me," he muses, turning away, his thoughts drifting. 'These two made me waste 70% of my energy... they won't die. I can sense some kids approaching. Wait a second...' His curiosity rekindled, he faces them again, probing. "Do any of you know a kid named V?"

Sera, inwardly panicking, remains motionless. 'He can't find out,' she desperately thinks, guarding her thoughts with as much strength as she has left. However, Zelo's gaze sharpens, focusing on Isadora. "Hmhmhm, your eyes flinched, huh? Guess you're coming with me," he declares with a smirk, dragging her by the hair, indifferent to her condition.